Asociación Latinoamericana de Producción Animal (ALPA)
Abstract
The present research was aimed at the geographic delimitation of the sheep-farming zone (SZ) in the highlands of Chiapas State Mexico, where most of the human population is conformed by the Tzotzil indians. The analysis of the roll of sheep in the family economy and the management of the crop-grazing-forestry system in relation to the soil use, as well as, to suggest some alternatives for the improvement of the system were another objectives for the present work. From the 3456.5 km-2 in the highlands, the SZ has 919.66 km-2 which is conformed by the Chamula sub zone (437.05 km-2) oriented mainly to self consumption; and the San Cristóbal sub zone (482.61 km-2) oriented to both, self consumption and the market. The sheep production systems have important ecological, economical and socio- cultural rolls for the Tzotziles and contributed with the 30 % of the global income of the crop-grazing-forestry family system. The traditional management practice of this pastoral complex system includes the utilization of induced grasslands which dynamic relations with the crop and forestry systems are similar in the whole SZ. The patterns of soil use in the SZ are annual crop production (20.5%), itinerant agriculture (39.7), oak and pine forest (35.6%) and the San Cristóbal urban area (44.2%). The growth of the human population in the highlands put a lot of pressure upon the use of soil for different purposes, this is conducting to lost of fertility, overgrazing and soil erosion with a strong trend toward an increase of the cultivated area in relation to grazing and forestry areas. According to it, the sustainability and development of the production system should be directed to intensification, looking for a maximization in the use of the productive resources
